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Dominick Dunne’s Quarter-Century

Read Our Man Dominick from the November 2009 issue of Vanity Fair., Left, by Jillian Edelstein; right, by Mark Seliger.

Very soon after Vanity Fairrelaunched, in 1983, Dominick Dunne began his career at the magazine with a gut-wrenching dispatch from the trial of his daughter’s killer. He hobnobbed with the legends of Hollywood and high society and chronicled the great scandals of our time, from the O.J. Simpson trial to Phil Spector’s latest drama. Here, an archive of our beloved diarist’s greatest hits.

Dominick Dunne opens up the carte des etoiles of cafe society’s favorite cafe, Glenn Bernbaum’s Mortimer’s. One gala night, writes Dunne, the place “looked as if it were ready for a children’s party, a rich children’s party, which is what it was, even though the children were all grown up and divorced themselves.”
Fatal Charm: The Social Web of Claus von Bülow (August 1985)

During Claus von Bülow’s second trial, Dominick Dunne is caught up among the dramatis personae—both sides choose him as their confidant. The children talk, the servants talk, mistresses talk, duchesses talk. And von Bülow himself talks, answering the telling questions: Does he love Andrea? Did he ever really love Sunny? What made him cry when he went back to Clarendon Court?
Imelda in Exile (August 1986)

She had it all, and lost it all—or did she? Dominick Dunne penetrated the Marcos hideout in Hawaii for a Vanity Fair exclusive.
The Rockefeller and the Ballet Boys (February 1987)

Another spectacular will contest is dividing the dinner parties of tony America. The recently deceased was Margaret Strong, a plain-Jane Rockefeller who always attracted effete men. Her first husband was the ballet-mad Marquis de Cuevas. Her second was nearly 40 years her junior: Raymundo de Larrain, who gave her a wheelchair and new teeth for the wedding. And then, according to her children, milked her out of $30 million.
The Fall of Roberto Polo (October 1988)

The swell life of Roberto Polo, who backed charity balls, bought a fashion house, and gave art to the Louvre and the Met, crashed in Italy with his arrest for misappropriating $110 million of his mysterious investors’ money. As Dominick Dunne tracks Polo’s stupendous sting, a picture emerges of a Gatsby for the Reagan era.
Robert Mapplethorpe’s Proud Finale (February 1989)

The tragic news that Robert Mapplethorpe was sick with AIDS coincided ironically with the zenith of his critical acclaim as a photographer. His controversial portraits of the beau monde and the leather-bar underworld unflinchingly confronted the era of dangerous sex. Here, as he courageously orchestrates his own exit from the world stage, he talks to Dominick Dunne.
Khashoggi’s Fall (September 1989)

Lavish villas, perfumed houris, costume balls, fabulous deals with foreign powers and Oriental potentates—Adnan Khashoggi’s life was an 80s remake of The Thousand and One Nights. The rumors started during the Iran-contra scandal, and the Saudi arms dealer once touted as the richest man in the world had to resort to such inconvenient economies as selling his famous yacht to Donald Trump. Now, after three months in a Swiss jail, he’s been extradited to the U.S. on charges of mail fraud and obstruction of justice.
Nightmare on Elm Drive (October 1990)

Did Lyle and Erik Menendez murder their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion and then make taped confessions? Dominick Dunne talks to the mystery witness who says she heard everything, and uncovers the secrets that turned the Menendezes’ American dream into a fatal nightmare.
The Verdict (March 1992)

Patricia Bowman and the Florida state prosecutors may have been blown away by the Kennedys’ pageant of piety in Palm Beach. But as Dominick Dunne discovers in conversations with her mother and stepfather—patriarch of the other Irish Catholic family in the drama—William Smith’s victory has not left her in defeat.
The Menendez Murder Trial (October 1993)

Lyle and Erik Menendez stand accused of the cold-blooded murder of their parents, and though the brothers have confessed, they are fighting back with a shocking charge: that their Hollywood-executive father sexually abused them.
Menendez Justice (March 1994)

After a long trial, two hung juries, and an earthquake, the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez seems murkier than ever. But, in interviews with friends and relatives of the confessed killers, Dominick Dunne debunks the tearful defense of sexual molestation that divided the juries, the press, and the public—and turned a family tragedy into a marathon courtroom drama.
L.A. in the Age of O.J. (February 1995)

Barely recovered from four years of Menendez fever, Hollywood is obsessed with the O. J. Simpson circus. Every player in town has his own news and clues, sources and theories.
All O.J., All The Time (May 1995)

In the fervid, obsessive world of the Simpson trial, no one ever takes a recess. Nicole’s sister, O.J.’s sister, Faye Resnick, Mark Fuhrman—all are creating new plotlines for this dark, unfolding drama.
Follow the Blood (July 1995)

The Fellini-esque tone of the O.J. trial has shifted to a grim focus; Ito means business, and even the defense is haunted by conscience.
If the Gloves Fit… (August 1995)

As the defense paints a weak, arthritis-plagued O.J., new questions arise about his actions after the murders.
The ‘N’ Word: Not Guilty (November 1995)

Thanks to his Dream Team’s histrionics—and to Mark Fuhrman—O. J. Simpson is a free man and the “race card” is trump.
O.J.’s Life Sentence (December 1995)

The victory party is over. O. J. Simpson is finding his old world doesn’t want him back—not at his Brentwood estate, not at ICM, and not at the Riviera golf club.
Three Faces of Evil (June 1996)

Following the guilty verdict in L.A.’s other shocking double murder, Dominick Dunne makes his closing argument on the twisted tale of the Menendez brothers—and discovers new pieces of the O. J. Simpson puzzle.
All That Glittered (August 1998)

Mexican silver-mining heir Charlie de Beistegui was perhaps the greatest party giver this century has known, and his 1951 costume ball at the Labia Palace in Venice made social history. As Sotheby’s readies Beistegui’s magnificent Château de Groussay, near Paris, to go on sale for $10 million, Dominick Dunne penetrates the heart of French society, visiting barons, countesses, and princesses, for a portrait of a master of illusion who created a world of utter splendor.
In Cold, Blue Blood (September 1999)

Dean MacGuigan loved Pati Margello, and Pati loved Dean, but Pati was just a drug addict, scam artist, and hooker, while Dean was the drug-addicted, ne’er-do-well son of a glamorous du Pont heiress. Which is how part of a reported $25 million family fortune may have found its way into the hands of three hired killers, who are accused of beating and strangling Pati one summer night in 1998. Dominick Dunne tracks the crime from a red-neon-lit Las Vegas motel to a mansion in the rolling hills of Delaware.
Trail of Guilt (October 2000)

For nearly a quarter-cenury after 15-year-old Martha Moxley was beaten to death with a golf club in the exelusive Greenwich, Connecticut, enclave of Belle Haven, police were stymied. Finally, last winter, Michael Skakel, son of a wealthy neighbor and nephew of Ethel Kennedy, was indicted for murder. Dominick Dunne, who based his best-selling A Season in Purgatory on the crime, charts his fateful involvement with the case: a rumor heard at the William Kennedy Smith trial, a growing friendship with Martha’s mother, shocking revelations by two informants—and a town that still may hold secrets about a girl’s violent death.
Death in Monaco (December 2000)

The official explanation for the death of multibillionaire banker Edmond Safra, who was asphyxiated in a locked bathroom of his Monte Carlo penthouse in 1999, is that one of Safra’s nurses set the fire in order to heroically rescue his employer. But why was the banker without his Mossad-trained guards? If reports of a second fire are true, who lit it? And were there two bullets in Safra’s body?
Smoke and Murders (July 2001)

Nicole Kidman makes a brave showing at Cannes. The wife of the nurse charged with setting the fire that killed Edmond Safra is suing Lily Safra. And Michael Skakel is facing a child-custody battle as well as a murder trial. Just another month in the life of V.F.’s plugged-in sleuth.
The Rich and the Damned (July 2002)

After the sentencings of Sotheby’s chairman Alfred Taubman and C.E.O. Diana Brooks, Dominick Dunne took his seat at the Moxley murder trial. There he found plenty to curl his hair, from photos of the victim to the ongoing campaign to pin the crime on Michael Skakel’s tutor.
Triumph by Jury (August 2002)

Of all the crimes Dominick Dunne has reported on for Vanity Fair, the long-unsolved 1975 murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley resonated most deeply, not least for its echoes of his own daughter’s slaying and his bond with the victim’s mother, Dorthy. From the leaked document that convinced him of Michael Skakel’s guilt and revived the investigation to the jury’s emphatic verdict on June 7, the author devotes this month’s diary to an unexpected victory of justice over privilege.
Prime-Time Blood (May 2003)

In an edgy, strangely quiet New York, Dominick Dunne is fixated on a case that initially left him cold: the Robert Blake murder, which if it goes to trial could rival the O.J. spectacular—with Simpson himself hoping to provide TV commentary.
A Death in the Family (March 2004)

After the death of his brother John Gregory Dunne, Dominick Dunne reflects on a relationship laced with tragedy and estrangement, then blessed by the joy of reconciliation, as well as the grace and strength of John’s wife, Joan Didion.
Oscar Galas to Remember (Oscar Night, 2005)

From Grace Kelly at Romanoff’s (1955) to Madonna and Michael at Swifty’s (1991), to the modern-day V.F. soirée, Dominick Dunne charts the glamour, the swank, and the star power of Hollywood’s premier party. An excerpt from the book Oscar Night: 75 Years of Hollywood Parties.Sorcerer’s Apprentice (February 2005)

Dramatic testimony, heavy irony, Hollywood gossip—the Disney trial brought all that and more to a small Delaware town, where C.E.O. Michael Eisner and former president Michael Ovitz played to a packed courthouse: longtime friends turned bitter enemies, now joined to defend Ovitz’s hiring and $140 million firing against a lawsuit by angry shareholders. Chatting with Ovitz, dining with Eisner, hearing from fascinated locals, Dominick Dunne was in the thick of the action.
Soaking Up the Dish in Beverly Hills (March 2005)

In rain-swept L.A. to cover Robert Blake’s murder trial, Dominick Dunne runs into a potential witness against Phil Spector, hears from Howard Hughes’s right-hand man, and gets an invitation from the increasingly reclusive Elizabeth Taylor.
Sympathy for the Defense (April 2005)

Dominick Dunne finds himself feeling sorry for murder defendant Robert Blake, being grilled by Gary Condit’s lawyers, and playing the role of the corpse in a new roman à clef.The Week of Living Glamorously (May 2005)

The awards show itself might have fallen flat, but Dominick Dunne finds plenty of entertainment in Oscar-week L.A. as even Michael Eisner and Liz Taylor make the scene. After V.F.’s epic bash, it’s on to a Law & Order surprise, the end of a bitter dispute, and Robert Blake’s courtroom stunner.
Surviving the Darkness (December 2005)

A fortune-teller Dominick Dunne consulted as a young soldier was right on the money: his 80th birthday brings a mix of gratitude for his current life and grief over losing his niece Quintana. Meanwhile, a courthouse conversation with Robert Blake evokes memories of Truman Capote and battling demons.
You’re Nobody till Somebody Bugs You (May 2006)

A computer-hacking scandal has ensnared banking heir Matthew Mellon, ex-husband of Tamara Mellon, who built the Jimmy Choo shoe empire. After flying to London to talk to Matthew and Tamara, Dominick Dunne heads for Oscar-week Hollywood, where Topic A is the wiretapping trial of Anthony Pellicano.
Greenwich Murder Time (June 2006)

When Dominick Dunne decides to spend a little quiet time in the country, lunch at a local tavern leads to a gold mine of Truman Capote’s abandoned papers; a reclusive former neighbor and expert gun collector turns up in federal prison; and another sensational murder—the Kissel stabbing—rocks his corner of Connecticut.
Saving Mrs. Astor (October 2006)

The shocking allegations that 104-year-old Brooke Astor, jeweled and generous doyenne of New York society, was suffering neglect at the hands of her son and daughter-in-law burned up the wires between Park Avenue, Southampton, and Northeast Harbor. But Dominick Dunne had heard and seen clues that something was amiss.
The Queen and I (March 2007)

In the never published introduction to a book about Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels—which caused a brief rift between the star and him—Dominick Dunne recalls scenes from their 30-year friendship, beginning on a movie set in Italy.
Legend with a Bullet (August 2007)

Dominick Dunne reports from the murder trial of rock ’n’ roll legend Phil Spector, catching the cast of legal stars, meeting with the defendant in the men’s room, and listening to some damning testimony from women who say they’ve faced the barrel of Spector’s gun.
Cheating on Phil (with Paris) (September 2007)

Covering Phil Spector’s murder trial, with its roller-coaster testimony and cross-examination, is Dominick Dunne’s top priority. But when the Paris Hilton story explodes all around him, it’s hard to resist a detour—and an invitation to the Hilton estate.
Phil Spector’s Cheap Shots (October 2007)

By the time the jury begins its deliberations in the Spector murder trial, Dominick Dunne has become highly critical of the defense strategy, fascinated by the antics of Phil Spector’s family, and close to two main characters—one living, one dead.
The Verdict Is Missing (December 2007)

Talking to members of the hung jury, Dominick Dunne learns how Phil Spector escaped a guilty verdict, for now at least, while O. J. Simpson finally ended up in a prison jumpsuit.
Palace Intrigues (February 2008)

There hasn’t been a dull moment in London, what with Brad and Angelina at Claridge’s, Nigel Dempster’s memorial, the McCartney-Mills divorce proceedings, and not one but two huge royal dramas being played out. Dominick Dunne gets the latest on the British inquest into Princess Diana’s death, Mohamed Al Fayed’s fight to prove a conspiracy, and the sex-video blackmail at Buckingham Palace.
Two Ladies, Two Yachts, and a Billionaire (May 2008)

The Diana inquest continues with a high-drama cast: the avenging father, Mohamed Al Fayed; the California model, Kelly Fisher, whose story rips a hole in Al Fayed’s romantic myth; and the multi-millionaire butler, Paul Burrell, who may find himself up for perjury.
What a Swell Party He Wrote (October 2008)

The author can take a bow for his inimitable crime and society coverage as he marks V.F.’s 25th anniversary by looking back at some epic murder trials—those of O. J. Simpson, Claus von Bülow, the Menendez brothers—as well as unforgettable encounters with everyone from Princess Diana to Monica Lewinsky.
O.J. Simpson Deserves His Punishment (December 2008)

Twenty-eight years after she slipped into a coma in her Newport mansion, Sunny von Bülow died at a nursing home in New York City. The author attends her memorial service, speaks with her children, and remembers Claus von Bülow’s trials for attempted murder.
A Boldfaced Death (January 2010)

With his novels People Like Us and A Season in Purgatory, the late Dominick Dunne brought an imaginative touch to the world he covered for V.F.,illuminating the lives of the powerful and privileged in a way very few others could. In an excerpt from his final novel, Too Much Money, published this month, the funeral of a legendary New York philanthropist (Brooke Astor, anyone?) is the occasion for some ruthless social maneuvering, not to mention ideal fodder for Dunne’s alter ego, Gus Bailey.